People who were taking active steps to find work. Active steps comprise:

registering with a Job Network employment agency;

contacting an employment agency;

contacting prospective employers;

answering a newspaper advertisement for a job;

checking Centrelink touch screens;

checking factory noticeboards;

advertising or tendering for work; and

contacting friends or relatives.

Age of youngest child

Age of the youngest child, 12 years and under, in the household.

Available to start work within four weeks

People who were available to start work within four weeks or, for people with children aged 12 years and under, could start work within four weeks if suitable child care was available.

Did not want to work

People who were not classified as employed or unemployed who answered 'no' when asked if they would like a job.

Discouraged job seekers

People with marginal attachment to the labour force who wanted to work and were available to start work within the next four weeks but whose main reason for not actively looking for work was that they believed they would not find a job for any of the following reasons:

considered to be too young by employers;

considered to be too old by employers;

believes ill health or disability discourages employers;

lacked necessary schooling, training, skills or experience;

difficulties because of language or ethnic background;

no jobs in their locality or line of work;

no jobs in suitable hours; and

no jobs at all.

Employed

People who, during the reference week:

worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job or business, or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers); or

worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers); or

were employees who had a job but were not at work and were:

away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week; or

away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week; or

away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement; or

on strike or locked out; or

on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job; or

were employers or own account workers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.

Family

Two or more people, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering; and who are usually resident in the same household. The basis of a family is formed by identifying the presence of a couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship. Some households will, therefore, contain more than one family.

Family reasons for not actively looking for work

Includes ill health of someone other than themselves, caring for children and other family considerations.

Full-time preference

People who preferred to work 35 hours or more a week. Note that for the purposes of this publication, full-time preference is derived from data collected on respondents' preferred number of hours and applies to those who intended to or might enter the labour force in the next 12 months.

Full-time or part-time status of last job

The perception of people of whether they worked full-time or part-time in their last job.

Future starters

People waiting to start, within four weeks of the end of the reference week, a new job that they have already obtained (and could have started in the reference week if the job had been available then). Under International Labour Organisation (ILO) guidelines, these persons do not have to be actively looking for work to be classified as unemployed.

Had a job to go to

People who were waiting to start a job, but would not be starting within four weeks. Also includes people who had a job but, up to the end of the reference week, had been away from work without pay for four weeks or longer and had not been actively looking for work.

Intention to enter the labour force in the next 12 months

The intention of people to work or look for work in the 12 months following the interview.

Job

Any employment, full-time or part-time, lasting two weeks or more.

Labour force

The civilian population can be split into two mutually exclusive groups: the labour force (employed and unemployed people) and persons not in the labour force.

Left a job

People who are classified as voluntarily ceasing their last job.

Lost a job

People who are classified as involuntarily ceasing their last job.

Main activity when not in the labour force

The main activity of people who are not in the labour force since they last worked or looked for work (or in the last year if they haven't worked in that time).

Marginal attachment to the labour force

People who were not in the labour force in the reference week, wanted to work and:

were actively looking for work but did not meet the availability criteria to be classified as unemployed; or

were not actively looking for work but were available to start work within four weeks.

The criteria for determining those in the labour force are based on activity (i.e. working or looking for work) and availability to start work during the reference week. The criteria associated with marginal attachment to the labour force, in particular the concepts of wanting to work and reasons for not actively looking for work, are more subjective. Hence, the measurement against these criteria is affected by the respondent’s own interpretation of the concepts used. An individual respondent’s interpretation may be affected by their work aspirations, as well as family, economic and other commitments.

Main English-speaking countries

The list of main English-speaking countries provided here is not an attempt to classify countries on the basis of whether or not English is the predominant or official language of each country. It is a list of the main countries from which Australia receives, or has received, significant numbers of overseas settlers who are likely to speak English. These countries comprise the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the United States of America.

People who preferred to work one to 34 hours a week. Note that for the purposes of this publication, part-time preference is derived from data collected on respondents' preferred number of hours and applies to those who intended to or might enter the labour force in the next 12 months.

Personal reasons for not actively looking for work

Includes 'own short-term illness or injury' or 'long-term health condition or disability', 'pregnancy', 'attending an educational institution', 'had no need to work', 'welfare payments or pension may be affected', and 'moved house or on holidays'.

Persons in the labour force

People who were classified as being in the labour force, that is, either employed or unemployed.

Persons not in the labour force

People who were not in the categories 'employed' or 'unemployed' as defined.

Persons not in the labour force because they were caring for children

People who wanted to work and:

were not actively looking for work because they were caring for children, but were available to start work within four weeks; or

were not actively looking for work and reported that they were not available to start work within four weeks because they were caring for children.

Preferred number of hours

The number of hours people, who intend to enter the labour force in the next 12 months, would like to work each week.

Reference week

The week preceding the week in which the interview was conducted.

Status in employment of last job

People who had a job in the last 20 years classified by whether they were employees, employers, own account workers, contributing family workers or unpaid voluntary workers in their last job.

Time since last job

The elapsed time since ceasing the last job.

Unemployed

People aged 15 years and over who were not employed during the reference week, and:

had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week and were available for work in the reference week; or

were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the end of the reference week and could have started in the reference week if the job had been available then.

Wanted to work

People not in the labour force who were not actively looking for work who answered 'yes' or 'maybe' when asked if they would like a job, as well as those people not in the labour force who were actively looking. It is assumed these people want a job as they are actively looking.

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